Troublesome Things
by Das Nebel
Summary: Shikamaru is having some problems he just can't get this girl out of his head! Final part is up.
1. Chapter 1

My first Naruto fic, it's about time I wrote one. I couldn't come up with a good title, so I put the first thing that popped into my head. This is a challenge I was given.

It will eventually be smut (I hope) fic, it will be my first ever het fic. It will be in segments. This part 1 and 2, since I had no idea what to do to make the first part longer and more interesting.

Disclaimer: I in no way shape or form own Naruto or any of it's characters. I only own the story that I put them in.

Please R&R!

**

* * *

**

**Troublesome Things**

'Clouds are nice' said a bored, yet thoughtful voice to the cloudy night sky.

'Clouds don't boss you around or make you do anything for that matter. They just float there in the sky, lazily drifting with the changing wind. Just lazy, fluffy white pillows in the sky.' A low mutter came, emitting from a shadowed figure on a rooftop.

The moon gently peeked out from behind a large cloud, bathing the figure in it's ethereal light. One could clearly see his slim physique sprawled out on what now could be seen as the rotting old roof of an abandoned house.

Shikamaru liked watching the clouds. Often he would dream about what it would be like to be a cloud, going wherever the wind took him, never having to do anything he did not want to do, and never having a care in the world. Just float there. Er, not that he would openly admit that to anyone other than himself.

He particularly liked watching clouds during the day; it was warmer, but harder to avoid being disturbed. However, every now and then he would watch them at night, if there were any out. He did this especially when he was feeling restless, like he was feeling now.

Stretching his stiff limbs, he sprawled out once more with a yawn on the creaking old roof, accidentally knocking off a few rotting shingles. It was the perfect place to watch the clouds. The house was on the outskirts of the village, just a short distance from where the forest grew thicker, so the view was not obscured by branches. He liked to come here to think, it was peaceful and quiet, and no one ever bothered to look for him there. Apparently there was a rumour about the place being haunted and claims of 'moaning' ghosts or monsters. Or something. That suited him just fine.

He had been going there for the past 4 weeks, and had yet to encounter those 'moaning' ghosts, or be eaten by a hungry monster. Sometimes, people and their imaginations could be so troublesome.

Now, as to why he was restless this night. He had something on his mind that continuously invaded his dreams and thoughts every waking moment, never leaving him in peace.

More like he had _someone _on his mind.

This someone just happened to female –a very attractive female – who was as bossy and over-bearing as they can, and definitely too troublesome to deal with. So, why couldn't he stop thinking about her?

'Troublesome' he muttered before getting up and dusting himself off. He needed to go to bed; he was meeting with his team tomorrow and would most likely be throttled by Ino for being late…again.

Obviously, cloud watching was not the solution to this perplexing problem.

* * *

'Troublesome…'

'Everything is troublesome to you! You're so lazy, it's a wonder you even _have_ the ability to move!'

'Tch. You're so troublesome.'

'If you say troublesome one more time, I'm going to pop you…'

'You're only going to do that anyway, so what difference does it make?'

'UGH. You're so hopeless…'

'Here we go again' muttered Asuma under his breath as his two students continued their childish bickering.

Well, more childish on Ino's part. It always happened without fail, like some screwed up routine. First Ino would arrive, and then Chouji, both on time. Shikamaru, however, would show up a few minutes late. Somehow, that always managed to set her off. She would get annoyed with him, he would respond with his usual 'troublesome', and it would just go down hill from there.

Asuma had long ago given up trying to stop them; they just continued anyway.

Chouji sat off to the side on an old tree stump, eating his chips. He didn't even dare to try to stop the two- Ino was damn scary when she was angry. Moreover, he meant scary as in 'PMSing 24/7 with a kunai' scary. He shuddered. A long painful death was definitely not very high on his to-do list.

Thankfully the arguments were always short lived and the two were back to being teamates again. It was like they just could not function without arguing at least once.

"Sometimes, those two argue like an old married couple" both student and sensei thought at the same time.

Then they quickly scratched the thought, just in case Ino could somehow read minds… what? That girl was scary sometimes!

The fighting was dying down, so Asuma took his chance and cleared his throat to get their attention. The two nins quickly ceased their talking and focused on their smoke-inhaling sensei. Well, Shikamaru's attention was on him, Ino was busy trying to glare a hole into the spiky haired shinobi's head.

He sighed. Better than nothing, right?

'As you know, today we were supposed to spar with Kurenai's team, but unfortunately they had to cancel due to receiving a last minute mission.' That got Ino's attention.

"So we came here for nothing! What are we supposed to do now?' she asked.

'I didn't plan anything, so I guess you have the rest of the day to yourselves.'

'YES!' Ino shouted with a happy jump.

'Alright, now I can perfect some techniques I've wanted to work on!' said Chouji, still happily munching on his chips.

Shikamaru didn't say anything. He just shrugged and walked off towards the forest. To where, only god knew. That was odd. Usually he would just mutter 'troublesome' and _then_ walk off.

Ino watched him slowly disappear into the woods.

'What is up with him? And where is he going?'

Asuma gave a small smile, with a hint of concern in his eyes. 'He's Shikamaru. He never does anything unless he has to or really wants to. The only thing he actually enjoys doing the most is cloud watching, so that's probably what he's going to do. As to what's wrong with him, I don't think we'll ever know unless he decides to tell us. That's just how he's always been, and probably always will be.' He said, before supposedly heading towards his home.

'Hm' Ino sighed softly, stealing one more glance to where Shikamaru had disappeared to before leaving to her house.

Chouji lingered a while longer, still staring at the direction Shikamaru had went in. Something was truly bothering his friend.

No one else would have noticed, but Chouji did, they were best friends after all. Shikamaru had been acting a little odd for the past few weeks, He was quieter, thought more than usual, and his daily bickering with Ino seemed to be only half-hearted at best.

Funny how you always notice the littlest things that tell you something is definitely bothering your best friend.

Something was up, but he wasn't going to press it. Shika was friend, and he would tell him what was wrong when he was ready. That's just how Shikamaru worked; he wouldn't say anything until he fully understood what was bothering him.

He sighed heavily and headed towards his house. He just hoped Shikamaru would him soon, he was beginning to worry.

* * *

AN: Working on part 3, and I hope to have it done soon. 


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, I finally have it up. Sorry if it's very short, but my inspiration was cut a little short for this one. But I hope you like it

Once again, I do not own Naruto.

**

* * *

**

**Part III**

'Whoever came up with cloud watching is a genius' he stated to no one in particular. It was great way to relax, if one's thoughts were not yet again concentrated on them.

Once more, Shikamaru found himself unable to concentrate on the one thing he loved to do most. It was puzzling and frustrating all at once. He could watch during the heat of battle and still be 12 steps ahead of the enemy, but could not when he had a girl on his mind.

The fading sun glared into his eyes, making them close reflexively in attempt to block out the shining rays.

He seriously needed help. His mind, that could calculate your next move and counter it, that could beat you in a game of Shogi or Go, was clouded by thoughts of a GIRL.

Hn, clouded, how…ironic.

He grunted and stretched. A perfect day for cloud watching wasted yet again. He was back on the roof of the old building; it continually creaked with his every move.

Vaguely, he wondered if one day it would finally give way. It would be one long drop and a painful landing; nearly all the flooring on the second floor of the two-storey building was gone, save for a section running from the stairs to a creaky balcony. He had done some exploring the first day he found the house.

How he got that sudden burst of curiousity was beyond him.

Just like his little girl problem. Now, being the genius that he was, he knew he was in love, he had the 'symptoms' he heard so much about when one has fallen in love; the tightening of chest, his heart beating faster, and butterflies in his stomach every time he thought about her. The perplexing thing was, why _her_?

'Of all people, it has to be her. Just, why? Ugh, maybe somebody up there hates me or something' he said to himself

True, the girl was a beauty in every aspect; silky blonde hair, the most prominent blue eyes, smooth, pale, unblemished skin, and curves many women would kill to have. She could take care of herself very well, never depended on others unless absolutely necessary. A great kunoichi.

She was attractive alright, but like everything else in the world, there was a downside. She was bossy, overbearing, and kept trying to have him whipped every time they met up (he absolutely refuses to be like his dad).

What is it with Nara men and bossy women?

He sighed. Maybe he would have been if he had been gay.

An image of Kiba doing a strip dance flashed through his mind. He shuddered.

Or maybe it would have been worse. Naked Kiba was not something he wanted to see anytime soon…

"Wait, scratch that, I _did_ see Kiba naked once…" he thought. The rookie 9 plus Team Gai had a party and had gotten drunk off their asses. Shino, Neji and himself includes, though not as drunk.

But that's a story for another time. Let's just say it involved a huge dog-pile on Shino, Naruto daring Kiba daring to streak, and Asuma-sensei having great black-mail material in the form of video. Several videos. Needless to say, it was one hell of a hangover the next morning.

Definitely not doing that again.

'Troublesome' he muttered. At least that little memory kept his mind off her for a short while.

This was definitely becoming a major problem, it showed and he knew it. He knew his teamates had noticed his change of behaviour. He knew it was only a matter of time before they really began to worry about him.

'Maybe I should tell them or Chouji at least, before they start checking up on me to make sure I haven't killed myself' he stated flatly.

Steeling his will (or motivation if you please) he got up and dusted himself off, he settled on going to see Chouji. After all, they are best friends, and maybe he would be able to help him understand.

Jumping on to the rickety old balcony with a soft thump, he jumped on to a near-by low hanging branch. He sighed with the extra effort he put into moving himself. So bothersome.

Landing on the ground, he began a slow leisurely walk. What was the sense in hurrying? It wasn't like the world was going to end any time soon.

He could only hope Chouji wouldn't laugh and tease him about it. The last thing he needed to be was blushing like a tomato.

Love can be such a drag sometimes.

* * *

Please review!

Now, if only I could get off my butt and post for my other story...


	3. Chapter 3

Well, I finally wrote this thing…Took me a while but I did it. Reading back on the other chapters, I kinda of realised I forgot to mention this is a slight AU fic. Gomen everyone ;

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

/thinking/

'Talking'

**Shikamaru**

Walking had to be one of his favourite things to do that required little energy. You could take your sweet time going places depending on how much effort you put into it. Shikamaru liked walking, though he much preferred to just not move at all. That being a testament to his laziness, it would be ages before he reached his intended destination, Chouji's house. In all honesty, he'd rather not be going at all.

Was he embarrassed about telling Chouji about his little predicament? No. Was he embarrassed because the girl of said predicament was their female team mate? Yes. He, Nara Shikamaru, was embarrassed over having a crush –or was it love- on Ino. Good lord, the world has come to an end. Any minute now the sky will come crashing down and kill all of humanity.

He wished.

/Stupid feelings, stupid crush – STUPID ROCK/

At this point in time, lost in thought, he tripped over a poor defenceless rock thus resulting in him doing a total face-plant in the dirt.

/…troublesome…/

Oh yes, this day was just getting better and better by the minute.

**Chouji's house**

If destruction were an art form, the small forest near the Akimichi house would a masterpiece. Trees knocked down, halfway turned to pulp, rock and boulders crushed to nothing but gravel, ditches and track lines marred the earth and tore up foliage.

In the middle of the disaster are, the form of a pudgy looking boy could seen lying on his back, breathing heavily. The fading rays of light casting a dull shadow around his sprawled out form. It must have been about 6 or 7 pm, it would be suppertime soon.

He may not have looked it at the moment, but he was quite pleased with the results. He just had to work on his aim a bit and everything would be perfect. For him, that is, it would be most unfortunate for those on the _receiving _end.

He would have concentrated better, if his mind had not been occupied with trying to figure out Shikamaru. To say he was worried about his cloud-loving team-mate would be a little bit of an understatement. He just couldn't get his mind off of how odd Shikamaru had been acting. He looked like he hadn't been getting much sleep at night anymore, he was a few minutes later than usual for training, his mind was always somewhere else (more than usual, at any rate), and put even less effort than normal when arguing with Ino.

Chouji paused for a second, his breathing had finally returned to normal, and frowned. Now that he thought about Ino, he vaguely recalled catching Shika secretly (or what he hoped was secretly) glancing at Ino, his gaze sometimes lingering until Ino looked around and his eyes would snap back to whatever he was looking at before.

His eyes widened as realisation hit. Shikamaru _liked _Ino. Was that what was bothering him? And more importantly, how the hell did that happen!

**Shikamaru**

After finally managing to peel himself off the ground and dust himself off, he couldn't help but wonder what else could go wrong. He decided that walking a bit faster would be better. Those squirrels were looking particularly evil right about now, with their beady little eyes and their acorns. Pure, unadulterated evil.

Reaching the bustling streets of the village, he resumed his normal pace. The squirrels wouldn't dare think of attacking in a street full of ninja. Walking past Ichiraku's, he absently noted that Naruto, who rather than inhaling several hundred bowls of ramen, was talking to Hinata. He paused. Poor girl was blushing ten shades of red. He couldn't hear what was being said, but cocked an eyebrow when Hinata's eyes widened in surprise, then happy as she hugged Naruto (although still blushing a red so deep it put tomatoes to shame.)

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Naruto finally told Hinata he liked her. The idiot had finally realised she had the biggest crush on him, instead of continuously chasing after that Haruno girl.

Some people had all the luck.

Silently continuing his trek, he turned a corner onto another street. He was taking a different route to the Akimichi house, to avoid passing the Yamanaka flower shop. If he had, he would have stopped at the shop to look for Ino. He really couldn't face her right now. Although he couldn't figure out why; he was just fine around her this morning.

So far, he had not bumped into anyone he knew, and sorely wished he would. Anything to delay his journey to see Chouji. Hell, even Kiba or Lee would be a welcome distraction. But alas, the gods were against him, as they had been for the past half hour.

He kicked around a stray pebble, lost in thought as to how he would start the apparent conversation that would happen. The Akimichi house was quickly coming into view as he turned another corner. He stopped for a moment.

/It's now or never/ he thought /besides, Chouji deserves to know, he's my best friend. I trust him. /

Approaching large house, he couldn't help but notice how the setting sun made the house somewhat more elegant than what it already was. Except for the fact that a chunk of the nearby forest was missing, it looked a little awkward but no less beautiful. He guessed the missing trees were the result of Chouji's practicing, so headed in that direction.

This was an odd quirk of Chouji's, he could destroy half an army – or in this case, forest – but could never bring himself to kill a butterfly, and Chouji was too kind hearted for that. If everyone were like that, there wouldn't be a bad person in the world. Then everyone would be out of a job.

Quickening his pace, he mentally prepared himself for the questions he knew would come.

He just prayed to god he didn't sound like a complete love-sick sap.

**Chouji's POV**

After a few minutes of resting, I managed to calm down a bit and clear my head so that my thoughts weren't a jumbled mess. It was kind of hard to wrap my head around the idea that Shikamaru could possibly have a crush on Ino, which could possibly be the reason he's been so…off lately. I mean come on, Ino is a Sasuke fan-girl on crack that wouldn't look twice at Shika, and Shikamaru…well, he just never really showed any interest in girls. At some point I believed he was gay. But then again he never showed any interest in guys either. But as they say, looks can be deceiving.

Ino's Sasuke fan-girlism and constant arguments with Shikamaru could just be a cover-up for the fact that she may actually _like _him. And Shikamaru just probably hides his preference so that he won't have to bother with it, or at least tries to. I wish somebody would throw me a frickin' bone here, I really need to know! Ugh.

I was now sitting down on one of the few fallen trees that didn't look like they went through a wood chipper and then a pulp machine. The sun was still out, but very faint. I decided I'd brood about this little problem after supper. I was about to get up and dust myself off when I heard approaching footsteps behind me.

'Hey Chouji'

I could recognise that voice anywhere. Swiftly turning around (which wasn't very easy mind you! Now I probably have splinters in my – err…never mind) I came face-to-face with the very person I was thinking about…well, one of the two people I was thinking about. Shikamaru stood there with his usual bored look, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. There was something else. His eyes looked troubled. Perhaps I was right in believing Shikamaru had a girl problem.

He looked somewhat uncomfortable standing there, as if he didn't know what to say. And that was probably true. Shikamaru wasn't exactly the type of person to start a conversation involving a girl unless it was to say that said girl he was speaking of was 'troublesome'. This was usually the case.

He twitched a bit under my awaiting stare.

Ever since we became ninja, about 4 years ago I believe we talked less than when we were kids. Because of frequent missions, that had become more of a side effect to being a ninja. Talking too much on a mission meant getting caught. Showing too much emotion meant you were vulnerable.

He cocked his head to the side a bit, as if trying to decide what to say to me. I raised an eyebrow. He actually had to _think_ of what to say instead of just saying the first thing that came to his mind. Definitely an embarrassing problem.

I sighed. I might as well test out my first theory, because he was going to take forever to come up with something to say.

'Look, you might hit me for this, but I don't know how to phrase this so; are you having some sort of…_girl _problem?'

Smoooth, Chouji, real smooth.

Judging by his shocked expression, I was right…or horribly wrong.

"…yes" he said after a while.

I gave a small smile, but inwardly I was doing a happy dance. Now let's see if my second theory is correct.

'I'm going to take a wild guess here and say you have a crush on Ino, don't you?' I said as seriously as I could, I didn't want sound as if I were mocking him.

"Get out of my head!" He blushed.

I smirked. Bingo. Damn I'm good.

He shifted uneasily. Anybody with half a brain could tell there was more to this visit than just admitting he liked her.

Grunting softly, he plopped down on the ground. Quite literally, as if he was being weighed down by this. As stated beforehand, Shikamaru was not the kind of person to talk a lot about this sort of thing. I was about to start our impending conversation, but he beat me to it.

"I don't know if I should tell her. I mean, you've seen the way she adores her little 'Sasuke-kun'. I don't stand a chance."

Ah. Blunt as always Shikamaru.

"You won't know unless you try." I said.

"But what if she does reject me? Then everything would be awkward between us and the team will become weak, _I'll _be weak. I don't want to be a weak link."

"I'm not going to lie, there is that chance. But if you don't tell her, and soon, someone else will and you will have missed your chance. And even if the depression doesn't get to you, there's still the fact that you have feelings for her. It will consume you, and you'll still end up being the weak link in the team. So even if she does reject you, your friendship – or whatever it is you two have – can be repaired. Depression and obsession can't."

He stared at me with his wide eyes. He knew I was right. He didn't want to be weak at all, but knew he would have to pick the lesser of two evils. The shocked expression faded into a warm smile.

"Chouji, you are a very wise friend. Thank you."

I smiled back at him.

Glancing at the sky, I noted the sun was almost gone. Hm, it sure gets darker faster these days. Suddenly my stomach let out a loud growl. I laughed sheepishly, he just chuckled. Ah, it was good to hear that.

"Want to stay for supper?" I asked.

"Sure, I just have to let my mom know" he said with a slight twitch. Heh, I don't blame him, his mom is scary bossy, but he loves her just the same. Kind of like Ino.

We got up and dusted ourselves off and headed towards my house. Looking over to him, I noted Shikamaru was more relaxed now, having returned to his ever slouching state.

Pausing to look at the few remaining clouds, that were now a nice pinkish-orange, he let out a content sound.

"I think… I'll tell her tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow."

I smiled and nodded. We continued walking the short distance to my house, the entire time I kept wonder;

What is it with Nara men and bossy women?

FINALLY!1111ONE11111ELEVEN

I finally finished the darn thing. Now, to think of something for the last part. Meh, later.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everbody, I finally got off my lazy ass and wrote the last part! I just hope it's as good as I think it is.

This is the part where the rating goes up P

ShikaIno, with some a bit of AsuKure in the background. Enjoy!

And thank you to all the lovely people who have read and reviewed this story 3

* * *

Leaving his house, Shikamaru couldn't help but feel like he was marching to his own funeral. And it could very well be just that. The lump in his throat and the heavy feeling in his stomach made him feel all the more worse for wear.

Walking with a slight jitter in his step down the road, he still had his doubts about telling her. If she rejected him…well, he didn't know just what he would do. By now, he had quite fully realized that he had more than a crush on her. He was completely in love with her. He came to the conclusion late last night, seeing as he didn't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning. He had laid in his bed wide awake, thinking for hours, contemplating what to say to her. The fact that he loved just only made things harder.

He just wished the heavy feeling in his stomach would go away already.

It was now 1:30pm and he still had no idea what he was going to say to her. If he could have, he would have rather not left the house at all today, but he told Chouji he would do it today. Besides, he wouldn't put it passed Chouji to come and drag him to her. The Akimichi was nothing if not determined when he wanted to be.

Just a little before twelve that afternoon, his mom had come in his room and loudly announced that his sensei had sent a last minute notice that there was training at 2:00, effectively making him jump out of bed and crash on the floor. Damn that woman was loud. He had briefly wondered why Asuma-sensei had forgotten to tell them about training until today.

The walk to the training ground was agonizingly slow - much slower than usual. He knew it was stupid to be dreading so much; he was around her almost everyday, why did today have to be different? Now, being a genius he knew the answer was a simple one, but his brain was refusing to supply him with it. And refusing to function properly too, as he nearly collided with a lady holding a basket full of groceries. He hurriedly muttered an apology to the glaring woman and sped up his pace, forcing his brain to work again. To be brutally honest, his brain had been the cause of his…misfortunate occurrences for the past few days. It just wasn't fully there. So much that he couldn't think of a single thing to say to Ino without sounding like a complete idiot.

All in all, he couldn't help but wonder how this troublesome day would end.

* * *

Sarutobi Asuma glanced at his watch – a gift from Kurenai – for the third time that hour. For some reason he had a weird feeling that something was going to happen today that he just couldn't shake. And it had something to do with his students. 

He just smiled wryly.

Asuma was always one to trust his gut feeling, and it was always right. Just like the day he knew Kurenai was going to ask him something. He couldn't explain why he felt like that, anticipating a question. She had invited him for coffee at a café that had opened a few months back. They had been going out for coffee ever since – refusing to call it a date, because it wasn't – when they were done training their teams for the day.

Kakashi often poked fun at him for it, calling her his girlfriend, to which he would just turn his head, mutter something unintelligible, and pointedly ignore perverted copy-nin. This only warranted more teasing.

But that was beside the point! Something was going to happen with his students. He didn't know what, and wasn't sure he wanted to, but it was going to be something…special.

Glancing at his watch one more time, he couldn't help but wonder when Kurenai and her team would be coming back. He would have gone to ask Hinata – as she went on fewer missions in order to train to be a medic-nin – but he didn't.

He didn't want to sound like he was her boyfriend.

* * *

In another part of the village, Yamanaka Ino walked out the front door of the flower shop, and ventured down the road, silently cursing her sensei for odd last-minute training session. She almost didn't wake up in time to read the note, seeing as her parents were away for most of the week. It would be a while before she would reach the training grounds, so she took the opportunity to think. Particularly, thoughts concerning one lazy ninja named Shikamaru. 

Shikamaru had been acting a bit odd for quite sometime now. His mind wasn't focused like it usually was, resulting in a few minor injuries during training. Injuries, which could have been very easily avoided. It just wasn't like him to be so… sloppy. Why? She had no idea. He had been getting on her nerves lately, more so than normal, with his constant attempts to ignore her, aside from his constant laziness. He was so lazy, that if there was an award for laziness, Shikamaru would win it hands down.

How she could like him, she could not for the life of her understand why.

She paused in mid-step, a slight blush creeping on to her face.

'Wait, _like _him? No…well, I like him as friends, not like that. I love Sasuke… don't I?'

Lightly shaking her head she continued on her way. She didn't want to be late for training, but it still didn't clear her thoughts.

Why did she like him? Shikamaru was so aloof it made her wonder if he was even all there to begin with. Then again, Sasuke was as aloof as they came.

For a moment, she briefly wondered when she had stopped chasing after Sasuke. It was really quite strange. Sasuke never really paid any attention to her. He was obsessed with killing his brother. As well as gaining the power to do so. Not to mention, he was a bit arrogant. And, sure, he was handsome, but he just wasn't interested in obtaining a girlfriend.

Perhaps it was better to like Shikamaru. He actually cared, and talked to her, whenever she wasn't yelling his head off, of course. He acknowledged that she was _there. _Maybe, just maybe, she could be with him

* * *

Chouji left his house, grumbling about barely having time to grab a snack before his mother ushered him out of the house so that he wouldn't be late for the training hi –h-so-wonderful sensei forgot to tell them about yesterday. This, come to think of it, was odd for the smoke sucking jounin, who always gave a day's notice. 

Munching on his chips from the miniscule bag he managed to grab (well, it was miniscule to him) he looked up to the sky. He just knew it was going to happen today. He sincerely hoped Ino and Shikamaru would be getting together. In all honesty, he believed they were made fir each other.

"True, they are complete opposites. Ino is energetic, sometimes loud, and often tempermental. Shikamaru, however, is quiet, lazy, and exceedingly calm. But like Yin and Yang, they belong together. After all, opposites do attract." He said, mostly to himself.

Now, he was glad he was alone when he said that, because if Ino or Shikamaru had heard him, they would have smacked him upside the head by now. And be blushing redder than a tomato.

Smiling quietly to himself, he trekked down the path towards the training ground. He just hoped Shikamaru had better keep his promise; otherwise, there would be hell to pay.

* * *

Shikamaru sneezed. 

"Damn, someone's talking about me" he muttered.

Che. This was going to be _very _troublesome.

* * *

Asuma looked at his watch one more time. He wasn't really expecting his team to be on time, since he had only sent the notice at the last minute. 

The only reason he neglected to tell his team the day before was because he had his mind set on something else, particularly getting a gift for Kurenai, since she had gotten him the watch. Really, that was it. Nothing more. Honestly.

In the back of his mind, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Kakashi, teased him that he was lying, he loved her. He ruthlessly tried to stomp the voice out of existence like a bug. Kakashi was starting to get to him.

'_Denial isn't just a river you know.'_ Said the voice before disappearing back to wherever it had come from.

Inhaling deeply on his cigarette, he let the smoke calm him, before exhaling. He really needed to stop hanging around Kakashi for a while; the man was becoming a nuisance even when he was physically there. Besides, he didn't need to think about that now; his team was beginning to arrive.

Ino, as usual, was the first to come into view as she approached the designated area. Judging from what he could tell, she looked to be deep in thought, which was odd for the normally loud blonde girl. She didn't even greet her sensei, and opted to lean up against a tree, completely in thought. He just hoped she didn't get lost in such unfamiliar territory (not that he would say it out loud).

The next to arrive was Chouji, eating his trademark bag of chips. He had looked at Ino, then at his sensei in question. Asuma just shrugged in response, and Chouji moved to sit on a nearby rock, occasionally glancing at Ino.

Predictably, the last to arrive was Shikamaru. He came trudging – quite literally – on to the training ground, looking as he usually did; bored to death. He had arrived, as usual, ten minutes late. It was pointless to lecture him on punctuality; he would wind up late for one reason or another.

They all looked to Ino, waiting for her to start telling him off, but she didn't so much as glance in any other direction than the one she was currently staring into. Shikamaru, Chouji and Asuma all looked at each other. Today was definitely going to be an odd day.

**Suck at fight scenes, so TIME SKIP!**

Training had been a complete waste of time. All they did was spar. But that wasn't to say it wasn't interesting.

Both Shikamaru and Ino had trouble focusing. Ino more than Shikamaru. She was punched in the head twice and miscalculated when to dodge the kick Asuma gave. Shikamaru just barely remembered to dodge. Both of their shurikens and kunai missed most of their targets. Not exactly their proudest shining moment. Ino was usually more alert. Shikamaru, well, he had been a little off for a while now, but today was a little worse; he barely missed hitting a branch when he was jumping down from a tree when Asuma had announced training was finished for the day, and wouldn't have to meet until next week.

**With Asuma**

After giving Ino and Shikamaru a light scolding, he left. He still couldn't shake the gut feeling he had. Not even the comforting warmth of the smoke filling his lungs seemed to quell the feeling.

Sighing heavily, he just hoped it would happen soon; the feeling was very uncomfortable. He did not want to be uneasy whenever Kurenai returned. Absently, he dug his hand into his vest pocket to loosely grasp the gift he got for her; a silver angel holding a garnet stone on a thin silver chain.

'I'm not her boyfriend' he thought to himself, 'but I would like to be.'

**With the trio**

Awkward silence was…well, awkward. Chouji began to fidget, feeling the urge to say, or do something. He knew he had to, because the longer he stayed around, the longer it would take for Shikamaru to talk to Ino. So he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Well, I'm gonna go home, Mom said she was making something special for supper tonight." It wasn't a complete lie; his mother was making supper but nothing special. Just an excuse to get out of there. Giving a meaningful look to Shikamaru, he went on his way.

'Don't mess up' he thought 'this may be your only chance to tell her.'

Watching him slowly disappear from sight, Shikamaru couldn't help but feel as if his insides were trying to turn inside-out. It was eating away at his nerve; his resolve getting weaker by the moment now that they were alone.

'I better tell her now while my brain and mouth still function.'

Steeling whatever was left of his will, he turned his head to look at the girl laying flat on her back, eyes closed but not quite asleep.

'She looks beautiful' he mused 'like some sort of angel, albeit a bossy one.'

He shook his head. Since when did he become so mushy? Damn hormones. Inhaling deeply, he looked at her one more time and spoke.

"Ino?"

Her eyes fluttered open and focused on him. They were such a pretty shade of blue. Almost as blue as the sky he loved to look at so much.

"Yeah, Shikamaru?"

Shaking himself out of his trance, he focused once more on her face. It was now or never. So troublesome.

"Ino, there's something I need to tell you…"

That got her attention; she sat upright, intent on listening to what he had to say.

"What is it?"

"I…umm…"

"Yeah?"

"I…love you."

She blinked rapidly. He loved her. She obviously hadn't been expecting that. He loved her. It was taking a while to sink in. Apparently, too long, because by the time she snapped out of it, she was alone on the training ground. Shikamaru had run off.

She mentally smacked herself.

'Ino, you idiot! He told you his feelings and you don't even say anything! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

She immediately got up and tried to locate where he had run off to. Where the hell did he go? She hoped he wouldn't do anything drastic; she would never be able to forgive herself. Though why she thought that didn't register in her mind. She needed to find him.

She found his chakra signature. It went down through the forest, down the path he usually took everyday after training. Following the weak trail, only one thought raced through her mind as she searched for him.

'Shikamaru, I love you too.'

* * *

He felt quite stupid right now, and weak. He told her, she didn't say anything, and he ran away. He _ran _from her, like a coward. A goddamn coward. 

'At least,' he thought 'I'm not crying; that much I can be proud of.'

He couldn't quite understand why it felt like he was being stabbed repeatedly, why this was worse than any physical pain he had ever received. It felt like he was dying from the inside. How could a stupid emotion hurt so badly? He could now say that this was the worse feeling in the entire world.

It didn't take a genius to figure that out.

He just wished he could die right now. Slowing his run to a fast walk, he took the time to try and think. 'Try' being the key word. How would he be able to face her again? What would she think of him? So many erratic thoughts bounced around his head, he just couldn't grasp them anymore. He was so caught up; he failed to notice the familiar chakra approaching…

"SHIKAMARU!"

Until it was right in front of him.

There stood Ino, blocking his path. How she managed to get in front of him or when he had stopped was beyond his knowledge. He was concentrated more on her face, which was set in a slight scowl. It worried him a great deal. She was going to yell at him, he just knew it. Ino was not the type of person you say something to and run off before she can answer back. Usually tracking them down and either tackling them, yelling at them, or both. Since he had not been tackled, he surmised that she would yell at him.

It was a shock, to say the least that she didn't. Instead she spoke normally, albeit a bit lower than usual, almost…sad.

"Shika… why did you run from me?"

"You didn't answer me."

"I was surprised"

"…Do you hate me?"

"No"

"Ah"

"I love you too"

She smiled. It was absolutely stunning, and it was all for him. She smiled just for him. He couldn't help but smile back. She loved him back; there was every reason to smile.

She moved closer, shyly at first, pecked him on the lips and quickly pulling away, blushing like mad. His face was the same colour, but he couldn't help but reach out to gently grasp her chin and kiss again, this time longer. Her shock was evident by the way she tensed when his lips touched hers, then quickly relaxing into it.

It was a bit sloppy, as all first kisses were, but they quickly got the hang of it. Deciding to make it deeper, Shikamaru lightly brushed his tongue against her lips, silently asking for permission. She gasped, giving him entrance to her mouth. His tongue coaxed hers into responding, giving permission to explore. She moaned softly as his wondering tongue found a particularly sensitive spot. She moved her arms to loosely hug his neck, as his arms moved to her waist, exploring each other's mouths.

The kiss was quite pleasant; it sent a warm feeling throughout their bodies, making them move closer, kiss harder. Just to keep feeling the warmth. It was absolutely perfect.

Of course, there was that little annoying thing called oxygen, and they both needed it right now. Breaking apart, they were gasping for air, cheeks flushed. It was amazing; it was an odd feeling, but amazing none the less. And quite an addictive feeling it was. He went in for another, but she stopped him. Puzzled, he cocked his head to the side, silently asking her why she stopped him. Her response was a sly smile, and a wicked spark in her eyes. It made him wonder just what her devious mind was planning.

"Let's go back to my house, it's too open out here. Besides, my parents are away on a mission for the rest of the week. We'll have the whole house to ourselves."

His eyes widened for a spilt second. He never knew Ino could be this forward, this…seductive. He couldn't help but smirk. Today was going to be very interesting indeed.

Meanwhile, in a tree not to far away from the retreating love birds, was Chouji with a triumphant, yet amused smile.

'That went better than expected' he mused 'I didn't think she would ever catch up to him. Shika may be lazy, but he's damn fast when he wants to be.

Dusting himself off, he jumped to another tree, actually heading for home this time. He may not have been able to hear what they were saying, but he had the feeling that they would need the privacy. Picking up speed, he jumped from tree to tree, all the while wishing his teammates the best. They did, after all, make a very lovely couple.

**Ino's house**

She was nervous. They both were, and it was steadily growing with every step they took to her bedroom. She began questioning why she had said anything in the first place. Her heart was going a mile a minute, and she was sure his was too, just by the way he was holding her hand; the muscles were a little tense. They hadn't even done anything yet. They both knew what would happen the minute they were alone in her room.

They were virgins. Well, she was, she wasn't so sure about Shikamaru, but decided not to dwell on it right now. It would be her first time, and to be quite honest, she would rather lose it to Shikamaru than to any other guy. It felt oddly comforting.

Once inside her room (she had lost track of when they had actually arrived at the door), she instantly felt his arms snake around her waist and pull her closer to him, and his soft lips upon her own. The kiss felt different from the first one, it was more passionate, full of desire, mixed with the same flowing warmth from before. He was a great kisser, better than anything she could have hoped for. Suddenly, he pulled away, earning a small whimper of protest from her, both breathing heavily like before.

The next few moments were a blur to Ino, and the next thing she knew, she was lying on her bed clad only in her panties, with Shikamaru above her, in only his boxers. Their hands wondered over each others bodies, a bit awkwardly at first, searching out each other's pleasurable spots. He licked and sucked at her nipples, earning soft moans in return. His hands caressing every visible part of her skin they could reach. He had her writhing and gasping beneath him as she tried to return the favour.

The wonderful hands skimmed down to the hem of her panties, sparing her a lustful look, asking for permission with his eyes. Numbly she nodded, and felt him tug them down and off. He sat back a little to admire he nude body. It was perfect; lying in front of him, a deep blush on her face, lovely breast, and curves any girl would kill to have. She was beautiful, even as she began to squirm under her gaze. It felt strangely pleasing to know he could do that to her. Quickly removing his boxers he settled between her legs. He would explore her body another time, right now he just needed to feel her around him.

She was nervous, that much was evident. She knew her first time would hurt, it always did. For a split second she wanted to back out, but refrained from doing so. She wanted this, she wanted him, loved him. No other person would do. Idlely, she wondered if he has sensed her short apprehension.

Softly, he muttered an apology before thrusting in, his mouth on hers muffling her scream. It hurt like hell, as was expected, but the pain slowly ebbed away. He stayed still the whole time, waiting for her to adjust. It felt so, good, but she needed him to move. Whimpering, she bucked her hips a little, insisting he moved. Slowly, he began to move, softly at first, her hips meeting his, as they gained a rhythm.

It was pure heaven. Their bodies moving, grinding, thrusting against each other felt so very good. Gasping and panting, she begged him to go harder, faster, as she felt a familiar heat coil up in her stomach, ready to spring. At that moment, he hit a spot deep inside her that made her scream out in pleasure. Loving that beautiful sound, he aimed to hit that spot every time, hard and fast. Her muscles clamped around his shaft, signaling her orgasm.

"SHIKAMARU!" She came quickly, loudly moaning his name.

He followed a few seconds later with a low, guttural growl that sound like her name. They collapsed, breathing heavily, more so than before, a light sheen of sweat covering their bodies. It was absolutely extraordinary. That was all they could up with to describe it, too tired to think.

Ino knew she would be a little sore the next day, but it was completely worth it.

Shikamaru fumbled around for the blankets that had some how become scrunched at the end of her bed, and pulled it around their naked bodies, then wrapping his arms around her, as though if he were to let go she would disappear.

"Love you"

"Love you too."

And with that, they drifted off into a dreamless sleep, blissfully unaware of the surprise wake up tomorrow…

Now, let it be known that the story will not end on that note, as it is a far too lame way to end a story. The morning after was quite…interesting you might say.

"OH SWEET MERCIFUL GOD!! MY EYES! THEY BUUURN!!!"

"Kiba, shut up"

And thus, Kiba learned that, even if he had to deliver an important message from the Hokage, he should knock on the front door, instead of entering through the bedroom window. At least then, it wouldn't be such a painful fall.

A lesson learned well indeed.

* * *

A.N//From under her desk// Man am I glad to be done with this story. I can finally move on with getting bugged to finish it coughPhilcough 

Anyway, I leave now with a quote from one of my favourite comedians, Dane Cook. Just because I can XD

"Sometimes I like a dancing plethora of cheese in my mouth. And then other times, I'm into a more solo cheese adventure, just a single one-on-one, me and one cheese. Yet sometimes, I want an orgy of cheese on my palate."


End file.
